Snowbound
by NettieC
Summary: With heavy snowfall forecast for the DC area, Harm and Mac face the possibility of being snowbound, what could they get up to?


Disclaimer: They don't belong to me.

Snowbound

In the final stages of the year, Harm stood staring out his window at the space Mac's car had occupied until about ten minutes ago. Shaking his head in self admonishment, he couldn't understand what had actually happened here tonight. They'd had dinner, it was cosy and intimate, something which was happening on a more frequent basis of late, pleasing him immensely. Harm had even prepared her favourite chocolate mousse for dessert and had been more than thrilled when she'd allowed him to spoon feed her the portion of his he'd failed to eat, or rather left so she could have more. Their dinner had been followed by an impromptu dance when Mac's favourite song came on the radio and Harm knew he had never known anything so comfortable as when Mac was nestled in his arms.

So, after a few hours of bliss, it surprised him when she broke away and left so abruptly that he was still trying to figure it all out ten minutes later. Shaking his head once more, Harm moved to the kitchen to clear the table and do the dishes, something Mac usually helped with when they had dinner together; he missed having her there, bantering over who would wash and who would dry.

Heading to the shower, he tried to wash the evening from his mind or at least to try to fathom why Mac had taken off so quickly and looked so unsure when she did. Dressed in green cotton boxers and a white tee, Harm turned off the heating and climbed into bed wondering just what he had to do to ensure Mac would last an entire evening at his place; and perhaps, if he was very lucky, the whole night.

At sometime in the early hours of the morning, Harm was woken by an icy cold bundle which had invaded his warm bed.

"Mac !" he gasped surprised, as she shivered alongside him. Instantly, he pulled her to him, his hands rubbing her body, trying to generate heat for her.

"Ssso coollldd!" she hissed as her teeth chattered.

"Where have you been?" he asked, moving so she was entangled in him, his right hand cupping her face so she'd look at him.

"Out...side...in the car," she replied, snuggling closer to him, desperate for all the warmth he could give her.

"For how long?" he asked, tugging her into his arms and pulling her flush against him.

"'bout an hour," she replied, her time keeping ability a bit fuzzy due to her frozen brain.

"Why didn't you come up earlier?" he asked, before blowing his warm breath on her cold ear, making her shudder for reasons other than the cold.

"Be...because I didn't know if I...I'd be welcome," she whispered, embarrassed, her teeth still chattering. "I sort of ...ll...l... left in a hurry earlier."

"Yeah, so I noticed," he replied, running his fingers through her hair. "Can you tell me why?"

Slowly, Mac pulled away and looked at him. Even in the darkness of his bedroom he could see her pained expression and it was too much for him.

"You don't have to," he added quickly. "It's okay."

"Ah, no, it's not...I think I should explain..." she said hesitantly.

"Okay," he said, his hand still wandering up and down her arm, trying to provide her with warmth and comfort.

"Dinner was lovely," she said, her voice so quiet Harm had to strain to hear her. "And dancing with you ... that was... well, lovely too."

"I thought so," Harm said, pleased when Mac settled back down next to him, her body pressed to his. "So, what happened?"

"The song ended and the weather report came on," she said and he nodded, he had a vague memory of it. "They forecasted heavy snowfalls for the DC area and I figured I'd get snowbound here ... and, well, I wasn't sure if that was a good idea," she said shyly, her head dropping.

"Why wouldn't it have been a good idea?" he asked, gently, hooking his finger under her chin to raise her face to his.

"Because..." she started quickly, but then her voice faded away.

"Because?" he prompted, using his thumb to swipe across the swell of her cheek.

"Well, that's the thing," she admitted. "I got all the way home and into bed before I realised I didn't have a 'because'. I guess I'm so used to one of us running when things become...ah, close, that it was instinct."

"What made you come back?" he asked slowly, aware her hand had come to rest on his chest above his heart.

"The realised I'd rather be snowbound with you than anywhere else in the world," she said and quietly sighed when his fingers raked through her hair.

"So, why'd you wait out in the car so long and let yourself get so cold?" he asked, as he edged closer to her ever so slightly.

"Because I wasn't sure if you'd be pleased to see me again tonight after I left so rudely," she admitted, her gazed locked onto his. "I'm sorry for that.

"No need to apologise, Mac," he said, tangling his fingers in her hair. "And, just so you know, for future reference, I will always be pleased to see you – no matter where, no matter when. Okay?"

"Okay," she said with the briefest of nods.

After a few moments of silence, Harm touched her face once more.

"Are you feeling warm now?" he asked, and watched her face for the truth.

"Pretty much," she replied. "But my feet are still cold." To prove her point she moved her feet to his legs and he flinched at the unexpected cold contact. "See, told you."

"Okay, change of plans," he said, climbing out of bed and Mac wasn't sure what was happening. "You go and have a shower and warm up the outside of you... all the way to your toes, and I'll go make some steaming hot chocolate and that will warm you up from the inside out."

"Sounds like a lot of effort," Mac said with a sigh, not moving. "I'll warm up here eventually."

"Your clothes are damp, your feet are freezing, I think my plan is better," he said, slipping on his robe.

"But it's so late, I don't want to put you to anymore trouble," she protested weakly.

"You said it yourself, we're snowbound – we have nowhere to go tomorrow so we don't even have to get out of bed," he said, before realising how that sounded. "Not that we have to stay in bed or be doing anything there but sleep or talk..."

"It's okay," she said with a giggle. "Your plan is better – I think I could use a gallon of your hot chocolate."

"Then into the shower with you and I'll get into the kitchen," he ordered, gesturing towards the bathroom.

"Ah, Harm," Mac said as she paused by the door. "You couldn't whip up some of those oatmeal cookies while you're in there, could you?"

Harm laughed heartily. "I'll see what I can manage."

With the heating back on and turned up fully, the oven preheating and the milk slowly simmering on the stove top, Harm felt more than warm in the sweats he had put on. Trying to keep his mind on food preparation rather than on a naked Mac in his shower was an effort in itself for him, and only served to make his temperature rise further. Eventually, it was her voice calling his name that pulled him from his thoughts.

"What's up?" he asked, poking his head around the door when he heard the water still running.

"My clothes are damp," she said. "I was wondering if you had anything I could wear."

"Already got it covered, marine," he said, retreating to the bedroom before returning. "Here's a toasty warm towel I had sitting on the heating vent."

"Toasty warm?" she echoed popping her head around the shower curtain.

"Well, that's what my mom always said when she heated things for me when I was little," he replied.

"Oh, cute," she replied, causing him to blush.

"Yeah, well," he said, trying not to think about moving that curtain altogether.

"And clothes, Harm?" she asked almost ready to end her long hot shower.

"Been preheating them too," he replied, pulling off his sweats. "Did these myself," he added proudly, folding the top then pants and leaving them next to the towel.

"What about you?" she asked, checking out the boxers and tee he had been wearing in bed earlier.

"Oh, I'm hot enough," he said heading back to check on the milk.

"Yes, you are," she muttered as he left, but he heard her.

When Mac appeared in his kitchen wearing his clothes with rolled up legs and sleeves Harm could only laugh.

"I see you found my slippers too," he said, checking out her feet.

"Yep, but they weren't preheated," she said with a pout.

"Sorry," he apologised, handing her a mug of hot chocolate. "Maybe this will make up for it."

Inhaling deeply, Mac's nostrils filled with the delicious chocolate aroma and in that moment she would have forgiven him anything. Taking a small sip, she smiled happily; here she was at 0413 in Harm's kitchen, in Harm's clothes, with Harm's special hot chocolate and his fabulous oatmeal cookies about to come out of the oven and she was toasty warm and better still, this could be the way she spent the next forty eight hours.

"Everything okay, Mac?" Harm asked studying her curiously. "You just seemed to drift off there."

"Everything's just perfect," she sighed dreamily. "Well, it will be when those cookies are ready."

"Two more minutes," he said, ushering her to the sofa. "You sit tight and I'll be back with your cookies."

"I could get used to this sort of service," she said, tucking her feet up under her.

"I don't have a problem with that," he called back, smiling to himself.

Padding back over with a plate of hot cookies and his own mug of chocolate, Harm settled on the sofa beside Mac before offering her the plate.

"That was three minutes and forty nine seconds," she said, taking the biggest cookie.

"Well, I had to get them out of the oven, and onto the plate, and walk back here," he said, placing the plate on the coffee table and grabbing one for himself.

"Oooh, they're as perfect as I remember," she sighed dreamily, finishing it in three bites.

"Good thing there's more when that came from," he said, gesturing to the plate.

"Don't mind if I do," she said, reaching forward and grabbing another one.

It was an hour later before they climbed into bed once more. Harm had already settled into his usual sleeping position before Mac emerged from the bathroom. He opened one eye when he heard more movement than expected and found her stripping off.

"I don't want to get too warm," she said, without looking at him. "Plus, I'll get tangled in them."

Watching her climb into bed with him in her panties and his blue tee with a white NAVY emblazoned across it, Harm had to remind himself to breathe. "Don't you dare tell anyone I'm voluntarily wearing this shirt, understand?" she asked, laying on her side facing him.

"I understand," he said with a grin.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" she asked, "About not having to get out of bed tomorrow, today," she corrected.

"I did," he confirmed, nodding. "There's already two feet of snow out there and I have no plans for the weekend.

"Good, because it's 0513 already and I feel like I could sleep forever," she said wistfully.

"Well, snuggle down and we'll see what we can do about that," Harm remarked, holding out his arms and smiling when she slipped effortlessly into them and quickly drifted off.

It was hours and hours before Mac awoke for the day, so long in fact that Harm had been up, showered, dressed, completed his paperwork and prepared their main meal for the day, not yet sure if it would be lunch or dinner but as the clocked ticked over to 1600, he figured it would be dinner. Surprised Mac could sleep so long, given her history of disrupted sleep and just plain insomnia, Harm went back into his bedroom to check on her. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her snuggling into his pillow and sighing dreamily.

Figuring if Mac wanted to hold something, it might as well be himself; Harm slid back into bed still dressed and slowly pulled his pillow from her grasp. It wasn't long before she discovered the real thing and settled happily on his chest. For the next while Harm watched her sleep in his arms, hoping, thinking, dreaming that somehow their snow induced incarceration would change their relationship for the better and that this sleeping arrangement could somehow become a permanent one.

All too soon Mac stirred and sleepily looked up at him, smiling when she saw him smiling at her.

"Sleep well?" he asked as she stretched in his arms.

"Yeah, I slept...wow! Is it really 1636?" she asked, not trusting herself or the clock on his side table.

"Yes, it is," he confirmed.

"I slept for nearly twelve hours?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, you did," he said, smiling at her confused expression.

"I've never slept that well, not without it being alcohol induced," she said, shaking her head.

"You seemed to be very comfortable," Harm observed as Mac yawned.

"I was...very," she said. "Actually, I still am. What time did you wake up, honey?" she asked yawning again.

"Honey?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oops," she said, a slight flush coming to her cheeks. "Guess I was more comfortable than I thought."

"I don't mind," Harm said with a grin. "I woke up sometime around ten," he said changing the topic.

"And you stayed here the whole time?" she asked surprised, propping herself up on one elbow.

"No, I got up for a few hours, did some things, but when I came back to check on you I thought I'd be more comfortable here with you," he replied, pushing Mac's hair back from her face.

"Is it still snowing?" she asked, trying not to get carried away on the tide of emotions sweeping through her.

"Yeah," he replied nodding. "We're definitely snowbound."

"Good," she replied with a sigh, settling back down in his arms. "Means we don't have to get up just yet."

A while later, Mac sat up cross legged, pulling the covers around her all the while Harm lay there with his eyes closed and his breathing shallow. Smiling, Mac watched him for a few moments before he became aware he was watched.

"Am I doing it properly?" he asked, opening his eyes.

"Doing what?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Sleeping? That's what you were doing, watching me sleep, right?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Ah, yeah," she said nodding. He was technically right, she was watching him sleep, however she was imagining what they could be doing in this bed if he wasn't asleep.

"You hungry?" he asked, trying to work out the emotion on her face.

"Yeah," she replied. Now she thought of it she realised she was actually starving.

"Well, come with me," he said, taking her hand and climbing out of bed.

Helping her on with his robe, Harm took Mac's hand once more and led her to the kitchen before seating her on a breakfast bar stool.

"I have organised a meal for us," he said, opening the fridge and pointing to the vegetarian lasagne all ready to go in the oven. "But if you prefer something lighter now, I can whip us up some scrambled eggs on toast and we can have the lasagne later," he offered closing the fridge.

"Scrambled eggs sound good," she said, "But let me do it. You've done so much for me."

"No, no, sit," he instructed when she went to move. "You can do the toast from there," he said, handing her the loaf of bread. "Just remember I like mine toasted properly, not the pale tanned version you prefer."

"Just because I don't like mine charcoaled, doesn't mean it's pale," she retorted good humouredly, sticking out her tongue out for effect.

"I wouldn't do that," he said, quietly.

"What?" she questioned, pulling the toaster towards her.

"Stick your tongue out," he said, pointing at her.

"And why not?" she asked, watching as he retrieved the eggs from the basket.

"Because it's not very ladylike," he said, leaving the eggs on the counter and walking around the bench to her.

"Well, I've never said I was a lady, now have I? I'm a marine," she said, poking her tongue out once more.

"You're going to have to stop that," he growled, trying not to think of what it would be like to have that tongue in his mouth, on his skin.

"How are you going to make me?" she sassed, quirking an eyebrow as he moved into her personal space.

"I have my ways," he said quietly but firmly and a shiver ran down her spine.

"And what might those be?" she asked, her gaze locked onto his, both knowing they were getting into dangerous territory.

"I'm not telling," he replied, "Just know you've been warned."

"Okay, I've been warned," she said seriously before chuckling.

Harm smiled at her as he went to round the bench and Mac couldn't help herself but poke her tongue out once more.

Harm did an immediate about turn and marched straight back to her, wrapping his arms around her he kissed her thoroughly; not stopping until he finally found out what it felt like to fully explore her mouth with his tongue and having her do the same in return.

"Got any other things I should be warned about?" she asked almost breathlessly as she pulled back, her eyes glassy, her lips tingling.

"One or two," he replied, pushing back her hair.

"Well, you'd better tell me now because I want to do every one of them – twice," she growled before pulling him back and kissing him so deeply he thought he'd need a new way of getting oxygen.

Scrambled eggs and toast were forgotten as Mac pushed Harm backwards and towards the sofa before sitting him down and climbing onto his lap, determined not to give him any chance to change his mind. Being a more than willing participant, Harm was very obliging, one arm moving to cradle her body to his while the other one slipped through the robe and up under his tee she was wearing. Finally, he discovered the soft tender flesh of her abdomen and groaned involuntarily into her mouth, eliciting a similar response from her.

Tugging the robe to come apart, so he could have easier access, Mac tried to get her hands onto his skin only to be thwarted by the sweater he was wearing.

"Sit up," she ordered breathlessly, leaning backwards to give him room. When he did, she grabbed hold of the sweater and tugged. "Off," she growled when she found she couldn't do it alone. Harm quickly divested himself of it before pulling her back again.

"Anything else you want me to take off?" he questioned as she claimed his lips once more.

"Yeah," she mumbled, straddling his lap. "Everything – but all in due time."

Yes, it was true she wanted him naked; she wanted him naked in his bed, naked beneath her, above her, beside her. However, right now, clothed was fine. It had taken them ten years to get to this point; she didn't want to push things faster than either of them could cope with. Harm, on the other hand, was done with waiting.

"I think we're way past due," he said as he kissed the length of her neck.

"You think?" she whispered as he sucked on her pulse point.

"Yes, I do," he replied, his hand moving around her body, under the tee, to caress her breast. "Most definitely."

"Well, in that case," she said, climbing off him. "What are we waiting for?"

As soon as Harm stood, Mac immediately pressed herself against him. Grinning as she felt his arousal press into her; he was right, they were way past due. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pushed closer to him and the friction caused Harm to groan loudly. Figuring he had to get her to the bedroom before things happened too quickly, he hoisted her up and Mac willingly wrapped her legs around his waist.

Walking to the bedroom, neither said a word until Harm bent over to lay Mac on the bed and she refused to let him go.

"Can't get everything else off if you don't let me go," he said gently as his hand caressed her face.

"I know," she whispered in reply, unhooking her legs but not her arms.

"Changed your mind?" he asked, concerned by the growing tension.

"Never," she said firmly and quickly.

"Glad to hear it," he said, moving to sit on the bed, with Mac still in his arms.

"Just ... well," she said before stopping.

"Just what?" he asked, cupping her face and making her look at him.

"Just wanted to say, before we did anything, that, well, you know, I love you, Harm," she finally declared.

"Well, you know, I love you too, Mac," he admitted, using her words.

"You sure?" she questioned, her brown gaze locked onto his blue one.

"Oh, most definitely. I love you very much, Sarah MacKenzie, have for a long time," he stated as he drew her closer.

"Well, I most definitely love you too," she affirmed, leaning in to kiss him before pulling back. "Now, that we've sorted that out, I have to ask one more thing."

"What's that, honey?" he asked, using her own term of endearment.

"Why are you still dressed?"

And in a very short time they weren't.

**Thanks for reading and please review.  
**


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